Put BP fines to use in coastal plan

Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:20 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 9:20 a.m.

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill were a human, ecological and financial catastrophe.

The 11 oilfield workers who were killed in the initial explosion cannot be replaced.

Nor can the immeasurable natural resources that were destroyed or killed.

The financial part of the equation is the one place where some of the harm done to Louisiana and the other coastal states can be remedied.

To that end, the fines that BP will eventually pay will be funneled into a distribution plan that sees the money going to the places that were most heavily affected.

That includes Louisiana, where the lion’s share of the environmental damage was done and where the money will do the most good.

There is a plan being formed that will put the BP fine money to use restoring and rebuilding coastal assets.

And that plan should take shape over the coming months. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is planning to release the plan by July 6.

There will still be details left unanswered. Most importantly, until the civil lawsuits by the federal government and others against BP are settled, it is unknown what amount of money will be available.

The one thing we know with reasonable certainty is that it will be something. Because of the penalties associated with oil spills, BP will face fines estimated at between $5 billion and $20 billion.

Eighty percent of that money will go to the Gulf coast states affected by the spill, according to the federal Restore Act.

The council will determine how 60 percent of the coastal money will be spent, and that is the plan that is currently in the works.

“Gulf restoration is within reach,” said Brian Moore with the National Audubon Society. “We look forward to working with the council to realize the promise of the Restore Act and its benefits for Gulf birds, wildlife and communities.”

The fact that this cause will have a dedicated source of money is in itself a step forward. The oil spill did great damage to the environment and wildlife of the Gulf and its wetlands. Fortunately, some of that damage can be offset by well-placed restoration projects.

Those projects will be crucial to the future health of the Gulf, so the plan now being formed is an important step toward recovery.

The fact that a plan is being formulated is a good sign in itself. Once it begins to take shape and go into effect, the benefits should become even more obvious.

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